Did you just install macOS Ventura on your Mac? Or maybe you’re thinking about downloading Ventura and installing the latest macOS version and are just curious what some of the more exciting features and tips for macOS 13 are? Then check out some of these great new features the Mac has gotten with the Ventura release.
1: Use your iPhone as a Mac webcam
Provided your iPhone is running iOS 16 or later, you can use it as an HD webcam on your Mac with Continuity Camera.
Selecting the iPhone as the camera to use is really easy, although this may vary by app. Look for the camera selection setting and select your iPhone from the camera list.
You can get the fancy Belkin iPhone webcam adapter for newer iPhone models directly from Apple if that tempts you.
2: Use Quick Look in Spotlight results
Spotlight is the awesome search feature you can access anytime from Mac by pressing Command+Space, and now you can see your search results even better with Quick Look, which now works with Spotlight search results.
Simply select a result in Spotlight and hit the spacebar as usual to open Quick Look.
3: The clock app is coming to the Mac
The Clock app is finally available on Mac!
This doesn’t seem like a big deal if you rely on your iPhone or iPad for timers, stopwatches, and alarms, but for those who want the option to set an alarm or timer on their Mac, the inclusion of the Clock app is great in MacOS a nice extra touch.
4: Stage Manager brings a new multitasking option
Stage Manager is a new multitasking interface for the Mac (and select iPad models) that lets you group apps and windows and switch between those apps and windows at the same time.
The interface takes some exploration to get used to and may not be for everyone, but as with all multitasking interfaces and window managers, it’s worth exploring to see if it resonates with you.
You can access Stage Manager on Mac by going to Control Center and switching there to enable and use the feature.
And if you like Stage Manager on Mac, you might like it on iPad too.
5: Undo sent messages
You sent an embarrassing message. Or maybe you sent it to the wrong person. Or maybe the message could be interpreted as impolite. Or maybe you didn’t mean what you said. We’ve all been there, haven’t we?
Simply right-click on a sent message and select “Undo Send” from the menu options.
Now you can undo messages sent using macOS, as long as the recipient is also using a modern version of macOS, iOS, or iPadOS.
This feature is available for five minutes and only works with other iMessages (i.e. blue text messages) and for those running the latest system software versions (macOS Ventura 13.0 or later, iPadOS 16 or later, iOS 16 or later).
6: Edit sent messages
Similar to undoing sent messages, you can edit sent messages on Mac.
Right-click a message after you’ve sent it and select Edit to edit that message. Perfect for correcting a typo, wrong word, capitalization issues, wrong grammar or whatever you want to adjust.
And just like not sending messages, this feature only works with other iMessage users (i.e. blue messages) and between users running the latest system software versions (macOS Ventura 13.0 or newer, iPadOS 16 or newer, iOS 16 or newer).
7: Schedule emails to be sent using the Mail app
Finally, you can schedule emails to be sent directly from the Mail app on Mac.
This is a great feature if you want to send a specific email at a specific time, whether it’s a birthday wish, anniversary reminder, resignation letter, or anything else time-sensitive.
After composing your email in the Mail app, look for the small pull-down menu next to the Send button and choose from the options when you want to send the email.
You must have the Mac and Mail app open for email scheduling to work. So if you’re planning to ship something two years from now, you need to keep that in mind.
8: Undeliver email on Mac with Mail app
Much like you can now withdraw iMessages, you can also withdraw emails for a limited time.
After sending an email in the Mail app on Mac, look for the Undo Send option in the lower-left corner of Mail’s main window. If you click on it, the email will not be sent.
The default undo sending setting provides 10 seconds to undo sending an email, but email settings allow you to set this to a longer period if desired.
All this really does is delay sending the email to delay time, but since people often regret what they sent or notice a typo or error right after they click send, it’s reasonable to behave like this.
9: Redesigned system settings become system settings
System Preferences has been renamed System Preferences, and it looks like someone copied and pasted everything from an iPhone to the Mac.
If you’d rather scroll through lists of preferences than click on familiar icons, you’ll really appreciate the all-new System Preferences in macOS Ventura.
Some locations are in familiar locations, while others have moved to new locations and under new names, keeping us all on our toes.
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What do you think of the new features, tricks, and changes introduced in macOS Ventura? Do you have a favorite? Let us know in the comments.
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